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The Good, Bad And Ugly Of The Season's New Series

September 08, 2003|By HAL BOEDEKER Special to the Daily Press

Here are synopses, time slots and premiere dates, where available, for new television series from the major networks.

"The O.C.," 9 p.m. Thursday. A troubled teen hunk (Benjamin McKenzie) moves into the home of his public defender (Peter Gallagher), who happens to live in an affluent neighborhood of Orange County, Calif. The family drama has a sharp look, a capable cast and real potential. FOX. Already premiered.

"Whoopi," 8 Tuesday. Oscar-winner Whoopi Goldberg headlines this broad, politically incorrect comedy. She plays a New York hotelier whose sidekicks include an uptight brother and a Persian handyman. If the aim was to do a Norman Lear-style show, the makers missed the target. NBC. Tuesday.

"Happy Family," 8:30 Tuesday. Emmy winners John Larroquette and Christine Baranski play the parents of three grown-ups who remain problem children. Their crises aren't especially funny in this ironically titled show. NBC. Tuesday.

"Jake 2.0," 9 Wednesday. An awkward computer technician gains superhuman qualities when nanites enter his body. Don't you hate when that happens? It's a nice coincidence that he's working for the National Security Agency, which can use his powers. Christopher Gorham makes an appealing hero in what is UPN's best new entry. UPN. Wednesday.

"Steve Harvey's Big Time," 8 Thursday. This entertaining variety show lets host Harvey interview everyday people with unusual talents, from the boy who sings like James Brown to the 4-year-old girl who can name the nation's governors. WB. Thursday.

"The Mullets," 9:30 Tuesday. One of the season's worst. The comedy follows two brothers whose family name represents their hairstyle. They are charmless doofuses. Loni Anderson plays their mom, and John O'Hurley is their oft-ridiculed stepfather. UPN. Thursday.

"All About the Andersons," 9:30 Friday. A single father (Anthony Anderson) returns to his parents' home while pursuing an acting career. He wants his folks to help him raise his 8-year-old son. As the parents, John Amos and Roz Ryan give this uneven comedy-drama some oomph. WB. Friday.

"All of Us," 8:30 Tuesday. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are producing this sitcom based loosely on their lives. A television reporter struggles to accommodate his fiancee, his ex-wife and his 5-year-old son. The show mixes tenderness and comedy with awkward results. UPN. Sept. 16.

"Rock Me Baby," 9 Tuesday. A limp comedy about a radio shock jock (Dan Cortese) whose wild style dwindles with his child's birth. It doesn't seem that he was too funny before the kid arrived. UPN. Sept. 16.

"Threat Matrix," 8 Thursday. An elite task force goes after terrorists in this unconvincing espionage drama. The gadgetry is more interesting than the people. The time slot, opposite "Friends" and "Survivor," is terrible. ABC. Sept. 18.

"Like Family," 8:30 Friday. Two families -- one black, one white -- live under the same roof in this promising comedy. The arrangement is supposed to help the single white mom raise her unruly son (J. Mack Slaughter, who has star potential). WB. Sept. 19.

"Two and a Half Men," 9:30 Monday. The comedy most likely to succeed. Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer play brothers who are raising the latter's 10-year-old son (Angus T. Jones). Holland Taylor portrays the men's overbearing mother in this witty series created by Chuck Lorre of "Cybill" fame. CBS. Sept. 22.

"Navy NCIS," 8 Tuesday. Creator Don Bellisario maintains it's not a "JAG" spinoff, although the characters were introduced on that show. Whatever. Mark Harmon and David McCallum lead the cast of the drama about the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. CBS. Sept. 23.

"One Tree Hill," 9 Tuesday. A weepy drama about two attractive lads who are in conflict because ... they are sons of the same man! And that's fodder for gossip in Tree Hill, N.C. Everwood negotiates similar territory with more finesse. WB. Sept. 23.

"The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H.," 10 Wednesday. David E. Kelley created this unflashy drama about three middle-aged brothers in a small town. The superb cast features Randy Quaid and Mare Winningham. CBS. Sept. 24.